content analysis
Definition
Content analysis refers to a systematic method for coding and categorizing open-ended written responses into discrete, meaningful units to compare how different populations reason about evidence. In quantitative content analysis, researchers organize responses into overarching categories—such as justifications based on report information relevant to expertise, peripheral information, or self-generated information—and then analyze the frequency and quality of these coded categories across groups. The method enables researchers to test theoretical hypotheses about reasoning differences; for instance, one study used quantitative content analysis to compare how believers and non-believers of implausible claims justify their evaluations of expert testimony, coding open-ended explanations to assess both the quantity of justifications provided and their type, thereby revealing systematic differences in how groups prioritize normative versus non-conventional indicators of evidence quality.
Sources: Robson et al. (2024)
Related Terms
Applications
Content Analysis and Misinformation Belief
Content analysis has been employed to investigate how believers and non-believers of implausible claims differ in their reasoning patterns when evaluating expert evidence. By coding open-ended responses into categories of justifications, content analysis revealed that individuals who hold fringe beliefs rely less on conventional markers of evidence quality and more on self-generated assumptions, suggesting that content analysis is a valuable tool for understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying misinformation adoption.
Sources: Robson et al. (2024)
